Grocers Are Lifting Mask Mandates after CDC Issues New Guidelines
This article originally appeared in Presence Marketing’s June 2021 Newsletter
As the nation loosens public safety restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection, grocers are removing mask mandates for customers and in some cases employees who are fully vaccinated. Retailers including Wegmans, Kroger-owned stores, Trader Joe’s, Harris Teeter, Publix, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Walgreen’s, Target, Meijer, Aldi, Costco and others are removing face mask requirements based on new guidelines issued on May 13 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which stated that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to cover their faces indoors.
"Starting May 20, fully vaccinated customers and most fully vaccinated associates no longer need to wear a mask in our facilities, including stores, distribution centers, plants and offices, unless otherwise indicated by state or local jurisdiction," said the Kroger Co. in a statement on the company’s website. "If there is a state or local mandate, please follow that requirement and timing,” the company added. Kroger will continue to require that non-vaccinated employees wear a face mask, and the grocer requests that non-vaccinated customers continue to wear a face mask. Employees will need to provide proof of vaccination to work without masks, the grocer said. Associates in its pharmacy and clinic locations will be required to continue to wear a mask due to CDC’s guidance for healthcare settings. Kroger added, “We will continue to respect the choice of individuals who prefer to continue to wear a mask.” In addition, Kroger is offering a $100 one-time incentive payment to associates for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Whole Foods Market announced in May that Whole Foods team members and Prime shoppers are required to wear face masks, reported WRAL in Raleigh, NC. However, customers who are fully vaccinated can now shop without a mask.
Trader Joe’s was the first major national retailer to announce a change in its mask-wearing policy in mi-May after the CDC issued new mask guidelines.oHoe
Natural Grocers on May 24 updated the natural retail chain’s mask guidelines, as follows: “We require customers who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings in our stores per the most recent CDC recommendations. We will not be asking customers to prove their vaccination status to shop in our stores, unless required to do so by government mandate; we will be relying on the honor system for compliance. We understand that certain of our customers subject to our policy may be unable to wear a face covering while shopping in our stores. Under these circumstances, we are pleased to provide curbside pickup and delivery through Instacart to allow continuing access to our goods and services,” Natural Grocers said. The company requires employees to wear face coverings at all times, and added that currently, the state of Oregon requires that customers provide proof of vaccination to go maskless indoors, the grocer said.
Sprouts Farmers Market also updated its face mask policy, stating on Instagram, “Vaccinated customers are now welcome to shop without a mask! We’ll continue to encourage non-vaccinated customers to wear face coverings while shopping and will continue to follow state and city mask ordinances where masks are required.”
Some grocery workers have expressed concern that CDC’s new guidelines put them back in the center of the face mask debate. Fox News reported that “now, some workers say the end of mask mandates has put them in a new position of having to explain their employers' mask policies, manage anxious shoppers and assess whether unmasked customers are indeed vaccinated, all while potentially risking their own health.”